party.’”
The place was mobbed, the music loud, and the decor classic French bordello from that country’s glory days of its greatest decadence. Not bad if you liked that sort of thing. Tassos whispered something in a waiter’s ear. The waiter turned and pointed to a man by the end of the bar studying the room. He had to be at least seven feet tall and as broad as the back of a truck.
“That’s our Robert,” said Tassos.
“Oh boy. They win, I quit,” said Andreas.
“He’s probably quite gentle.”
“Let’s hope we don’t get the chance to hear him say, ‘I’ll be gentle.’”
Tassos laughed.
Andreas patted his crotch. His nine-millimeter was right where it should be. “Okay, let’s go.”
Tassos walked over to the giant and motioned for him to lower his head. Tassos whispered in his ear and Robert’s face lit up in a broad smile. He waved one of his huge hands at Andreas to follow and began moving through the sea of people. It was like two caiques following the Queen Mary. He led them to a doorway at the rear, opened it, and pointed down the stairs.
“Down there, they’re waiting for you.” He smiled, patted Tassos and Andreas on their backs as they passed, and closed the door behind them.
“Christ, it’s like a tomb in here,” said Andreas. “Can’t hear a thing from outside or downstairs.”
“And vice-versa I’m sure. Probably not even a gun shot,” said Tassos.
“Stop making me feel better.” Andreas touched his holster again. “Just how sure are you of the guy who set up this meeting?”
“He’s a friend of a friend.”
“Great. Like I said, stop making me feel better.”
At the bottom of the stairs stood two bulky guys, obviously Albanian. They didn’t smile, just stared at the new arrivals.
Tassos stared back. “We’re here for the White party.”
The two men pointed to a door at the end of the hall.
As they walked toward the door Tassos whispered, “Don’t shoot until you see the whites of their eyes.”
Andreas smiled, but braced for the worst. Just then the door swung open and a tremendous shout came roaring out of the room.
“SURPRISE!”
It took about an hour of hugged congratulations, gotchas, backslapping, and svenaki shots of vodka from what seemed every guy he’d ever known before Andreas could corner Tassos. “You son-of-a-bitch, this was supposed to be tomorrow night.”
“You mean your ‘surprise’ bachelor party.” Tassos was smiling from ear to ear. “We knew you’d be expecting some sort of party so it was Lila’s idea to misdirect you into thinking it was tomorrow.”
“I guess I should take that as a warning of what life will be like after Sunday.”
“Yeah, someone always caring that you have a good time.”
“If you want me to have a really good time you’ll tell me that your bit about being able to set up a meeting with the Albanians was all part of an elaborate ruse to get me here and that there’s absolutely no truth to it.”
“Sorry, wish I could. But that part’s all real, though it did give me the idea for making sure you’d be surprised when the door opened.”
“Remind me of that tomorrow, when I’m sober. What about the two Albanians at the door? Nice touch.”
“Hey, not all Albanians are bad guys. They’re cops from the western suburbs. It was Yianni’s idea. He thought they would lend authenticity.”
Andreas felt a sharp slap on his back. “Andreas, Andreas.” It was Spiros, the minister of public order.
“ Yiasou, Spiros.”
“I am so glad to be here. After all we’ve been through together I feel as if we’re brothers.”
“Thank you, I’ve had similar thoughts at times,” said Andreas thinking of certain well-known biblical siblings.
“I’ve arranged a little surprise to commemorate the end of your bachelorhood. Enjoy.” Spiros winked at Tassos and walked away.
Andreas stared after him. “Why does the thought of a surprise from Spiros not make me happy?”
Tassos waved to Kouros to join them. “Forget about him. At least he didn’t ask you for a report on what’s happening with the Tinos murders.” He put his arm around Kouros. “Yianni, we pulled it off. Congratulations.”
Andreas stared at Kouros. “Bastard.”
“I love you too, Chief.”
Andreas smiled and hugged him.
The food, music, and drink had been running non-stop since they got there, all in a mix of modern and old Greek styles. Now the lights flickered, a disco ball hanging from the ceiling in the middle of the room began to turn, and splashes of colored light darted about in pace with the music. Spotlights splashed about the room before abruptly fixing on three figures shrouded in black beneath the disco ball. Every eye was drawn to the objects caught in the lights. At that instant the music gained a sudden intensity and from beneath each cloak a bare white arm shot straight into the air followed a moment later by a second bare arm.
Andreas had a pretty good idea of what was coming and was certain it did not involve any dancers approved by Lila.
First one then another dancer dropped her cloak, followed by her dress and bra, while the deejay did his masterful job of pumping up the music and virtually every man in the room. It wasn’t that hard to do. Tall, blond, blue-eyed, big-busted young women, undoubtedly Eastern bloc, dancing naked down to their g-strings before two hundred drunken men generally did the trick every time.
One woman danced over to Andreas, teasing him to join her in the middle of the floor. He smiled, but refused. She tried pulling him onto the dance floor. He kept smiling, but refused again. His second refusal met with friendly shouts from around the room of “ pusti,” and other names questioning his manhood. Andreas laughed and smiled but did not budge. When the practically naked woman again tried pulling him onto the dance floor, Kouros smoothly lifted her off her feet and carried her back to beneath the disco ball, smiling all the time, amid a barrage of men yelling offers to take Andreas’ place. Everyone seemed to be having a terrific time.
Kouros walked back to where Andreas and Tassos were standing.
“Thanks, Yianni,” said Andreas. “I can’t believe this.”
“My guess is that this is our distinguished minister’s surprise,” said Tassos.
“What planet is he on?” said Andreas. “Doesn’t he realize these girls are part of the sex trafficking trade? The man is an idiot.”
“A complete idiot,” said Kouros.
Tassos shook his head. “No, my friends, I’m afraid he’s just a man. Look around you. The place is filled with cops. They know what’s going on. How many do you think even care? They’ll say ‘Hey, it’s not child porn, it’s dancers at a bachelor party. Chill out. What’s the harm?’”
What’s the harm? Oh yes, the unofficial mantra of Greece for all the corrupt practices that had brought his great country to its knees.
“Yeah, ‘what’s the harm?’”
“I guess I don’t have to ask if you had a good time last night.”
Andreas heard the words through the pillow pulled tightly over his head. “I don’t remember,” he mumbled into the pillow.
“You could have slept in our bedroom, or a guest room. You didn’t have to sleep on the sofa in the elevator foyer.”
“It was the only room I could find.”
Lila laughed. “Well, my love, it’s one in the afternoon. When exactly did you get in?”
“It was light out, that’s all I remember. And someone putting me into the elevator.”
“That was Tassos. Maggie called a few hours ago. She said he wasn’t in much better shape but at least he
